Elderly couple charged as police crackdown on CTP fraud continues
AN elderly couple have been charged over a fraud in which they allegedly claimed hundreds of thousands of dollars following a crash in Sydney’s southwest.
NSW
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AN elderly couple have been charged over a fraud in which they allegedly claimed hundreds of thousands of dollars following a crash in Sydney’s southwest.
The man, 72, and woman, 71, from Hinchinbrook, were arrested by Strike Force Ravens detectives at 8am and charged with one count of conspiring to cheat and defraud over the alleged green slip rort.
Police allege the couple defrauded the compulsory third party (CTP) insurance scheme after they submitted fraudulent insurance claims totalling $280,000 relating to the crash on April 16, 2015.
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The pair was taken to Liverpool police station where they were both granted conditional bail and are due to appear at Liverpool Local Court on July 18.
This is the latest in a string of arrests that have been credited with slashing green slip costs. So far Strike Force Ravens investigators have arrested 20 people and laid more than 120 charges in relation to a combined fraud totalling more than $11 million.
A combination of a police crackdown and stricter compulsory third-party claim rules has resulted in 4000 fake insurance claims being knocked back in the past two years.
The fraud involves the use of minor or even fake crashes being reported, either to insurance companies or the Police Assistance Line.
Conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder in one or two-year-old infants are often fraudulently declared as part of the reports.
To avoid costs associated with court battles, insurance companies pay out the claim.
CTP FRAUD RACKET’S GUIDE FOR ALLEGEDLY RIPPING OFF SYSTEM
In August 2016, detectives from the State Crime Command’s Fraud and Cybercrime Squad established the strike force to investigate syndicates targeting the CTP insurance scheme.
In September last year detective arrested three Sydney men including an eastern suburbs lawyer allegedly involved in submitting more than $1 million worth of fraudulent third–party compensation claims.
Police raided a legal firm in Auburn and homes in Croydon and Bankstown as part of the operation.
The Daily Telegraph revealed last year that organised crime syndicates led by Iraqi refugees on temporary protection visas as well as Afghani and Vietnamese crims were behind a wave of car insurance fraud.